Configuring activity templates
An activity is a record of communication with a client. This includes schedule items, activity plans, tasks, documents, emails, and call records. Activities are also known as interactions. You can configure activity templates from the Document Codes page. You can also configure badges for activities.
Use activity templates to define specific types of tasks, schedule items, and call records in NexJ CRM. For example, to create a reminder to follow up with a client, users add the Follow Up task in the My Tasks tab in the Home workspace. NexJ CRM uses the Follow Up activity template to create the task.
A call record is an internal record documenting an interaction with a contact or lead.
To configure an activity template, specify the details, attachments, and statuses for the activity that the template creates. Activity templates also predefine relevant information for activities. For example, to configure the Site Tour schedule item to include a non-disclosure agreement that attendees fill our at the beginning of the tour, add the agreement as an attachment to the Site Tour activity template.
Configure activity templates in the Activity Templates tab on the Document Codes page.
Adding activity templates
Add activity templates to create new types of tasks, schedule items, and call records for NexJ CRM.
An itinerary item is a scheduled time slot that represents activities that support an event, other than event meetings, for example, travel arrangements for flight and hotel reservations.
To add an activity template:
- Click OK.
A new activity template appears in the list on the left of the Activity Template tab on the Document Codes page. If Active is selected, the activity is now available in NexJ CRM.
Modifying activity templates
Modify activity templates to make changes to template details, attachments, and statuses.
After you create an activity template in NexJ Admin Console, you can make changes in the template's Details, Attachments, and Statuses tabs.
Editing details for activity templates
Edit details for activity templates to change template properties such as the name and security settings.
To edit an activity template's details:
The activity template's details are modified. If Active is selected, the modified activity is now available in NexJ CRM.
Changes to a template apply only to new activities. Existing activities in NexJ CRM are not modified.
Managing attachments for activity templates
Add and delete attachments for activity templates to manage which documents and images are associated with activities that the template creates. After a user creates an activity in NexJ CRM, attachments from the template are available to users who open the activity.
Before you can attach a specific document to an activity template, you must add the document to Document Manager in NexJ CRM. For more information about using Document Manager, see Managing your documents.
To manage an activity template's attachments:
The document and its related attachments are added to the activity template.
Modifying statuses for activity templates
Add and remove statuses for activity templates to specify the stages through which activities progress. When you modify the statuses for an activity template, you configure what statuses are available and which status is the default. For example, the template for the Follow Up task has the statuses Cancelled, Completed, On Hold, Outstanding, and Tentative. The default status is Outstanding, which means that new Follow Up tasks are set to Outstanding when they are created. As users complete the task, they choose from the statuses to indicate their progress.
To modify an activity template's statuses:
- Navigate to the Document Codes page.
- In the Activity Templates tab, select the template in which to modify statuses.
- Select the Statuses subtab.
- To modify the available statuses for the template:
- To modify the default status for the template:
The activity template's statuses and default status are modified.
Deleting activity templates
Delete activity templates to permanently remove the template from NexJ Admin Console and NexJ CRM.
You can only delete an activity template if is has not yet been used to create an activity in NexJ CRM. To make a template unavailable for use without deleting it, deactivate the template by editing it and clearing the Active checkbox.
To delete an activity template:
The activity template is deleted.
Activity template fields
In addition to basic fields such as Name and Description, each activity template contains additional fields that depend on the template type. For example, the Notes field is present in Call Record, Schedule Item, and Task templates, but the Default Start Time field is in only Schedule Item templates. The following table describes each activity template field and indicates the templates that use it.
Fields available in activity templates
Field name | Description | Event Meeting | Schedule Item | Itinerary Item | Task | Event Meeting Feedback | Call Record |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Active | Specifies whether the template is active and available for creating activities in NexJ CRM. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Associated command | Specifies an action that, when performed in NexJ CRM, creates and assigns this activity. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Associated template | Enables you to associate a schedule item template with an activity template for event meetings or an event meeting template with an activity template for schedule items. This enables you to search for one type of item and retrieve items that are grouped under two different templates. For example, you may search for all analyst meetings in the system and retrieve results that show the analyst meetings that are schedule items and the analyst meetings that are event meetings. | Yes | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Create a journal entry for each recipient with personalized copies of the specified documents | Specifies whether an action that triggers the activity is recorded in the recipient's contact record. This option displays only when an action is specified in the Associated Command field. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Create security | Specifies who can use the template to create an activity. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Default duration | The duration of the schedule item. This value specifies the default setting. A user who creates or edits the schedule item can specify a different duration. | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Default edit security | Specifies who can edit the activity after a user creates it. This option specifies the default setting. To allow users to change the edit security, select Enable editing the security settings for instances of this template. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Default reminder | Specifies when users who have been assigned the activity receive a reminder for it. This value specifies the default setting. A user who creates or edits the activity can specify a different reminder time. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Default snooze | Specifies how frequently the activity's reminder repeats. This value specifies the default setting. A user who receives the reminder can specify a different snooze frequency. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Default start time | The time at which the schedule item begins. This value specifies the default setting. A user who creates or edits the schedule item can specify a different start time. | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Default view security | Specifies who can view the activity after a user creates it. This option specifies the default setting. To allow users to change the view security, select Enable editing the security settings for instances of this template. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Enable editing the security settings for instances of this template | Specifies whether users can modify the edit and view security settings. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Enable synchronization with Exchange for instances of this template | Specifies whether to synchronize the activity with Microsoft Exchange. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Group Meeting | Specifies that multiple clients can attend the Event Meeting. When selected, the Max Clients field becomes available for editing. | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Hide template from filters | Hides the template from all filters and UDFs. Users can still create activities with this template, but are unable to specify the template in filter criteria. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Icon | The icon that displays beside the activity's name in dialogs, lists, and menus. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Max Attendees | Specifies the maximum number of participants for a meeting or itinerary item. This number must be equal to or less than the room capacity. If it is blank, only the room capacity applies. | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Max Clients | Specifies the maximum number of clients intended for a Group Event Meeting. This number is for reference purposes only, and is not validated. If you want to limit the number of attendees in an Event Meeting, use the Max Attendees or Room Capacity fields. | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Name | The name that displays for the activity template in NexJ Admin Console, and for activities created using the template in NexJ CRM. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Notes | Information related to the activity, which displays to users when they view the activity in NexJ CRM. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Priority | The priority level for the activity, which indicates the activity's importance. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Read only | Specifies whether users can modify the activity after they create it. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Reference name | The reference name for the template. This field cannot contain spaces. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Room Capacity | Used to ensure that the number of attendees does not exceed the capacity of the room for the event or itinerary item. If it is left blank, the number of attendees is unlimited. | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | No |
Schedule item colour | The color in which the schedule item displays in a user's schedule. | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
Template description | The description of the template, which displays to users when they view it in NexJ Admin Console. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |